Arugula, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

I made this salad for Thanksgiving and IT IS INCREDIBLE. The next time you need to make a salad for a group of people, I aggressively encourage you to use this recipe. Other than the obnoxious pomegranate-cutting, it's ridiculously easy to make. 

For The Vinaigrette

• 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepepr
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

For The Salad

• 4 cups arugula
• 2 ripe pears, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
• 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped

Instructions

In a small bowl combine the shallot, vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and let vinaigrette stand at room temperature until salad is assembled. Combine the arugula, romaine, pears and half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl. Crumble half of the goat cheese over the ingredients in the bowl (this works best if the cheese is very cold). Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add all but 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl. Gently toss the salad with your hands or salad tongs, coating the ingredients well with the vinaigrette. If the salad seems dry, add the vinaigrette in small increments until it is dressed to your liking. Crumble the remaining cheese over the salad and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds and the pistachios over the top. Serve immediately.

Recipe slightly adapted from Food 52.

“I don’t care how old you are, never watch The Blair Witch Project alone.”

— #lizadvice

Tomorrowland

I will forever love teaser trailers. We don't need longer than a teaser for any movie, EVER. When will the world learn that?! I don't even know if I'll love this movie (or even like it), but doesn't this trailer make it look incredible? Or maybe it's George Clooney's voice? I don't know what it is, but I am all about this. 

MAC Cosmetics Recycling Program

“By returning six [6] M·A·C primary packaging containers to a M·A·C counter or M·A·C Cosmetics online, you’ll receive a free M·A·C lipstick of your choice as our thanks to you.”

Humans of the world, were you aware of this? I've been taking advantage of this program for years and don't have any plans to stop. You can find more information on what can be recycled here. 

Mom Says

“A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown.”

e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit

If a) you're not picky and b) it's not raining outside - then this is the eyebrow system for you.

Every time I'm in the vicinity of e.l.f. products, I find it extremely hard not to overindulge and buy everything in sight. Their prices are insane and some of the products actually work better than some I've sampled from Sephora.

Normal, sad eyebrows (left) & e.l.f-ed up eyebrows (right)

I'm sorry you have to look at my creepy one eye shots (I'm purposely not making that an image you can open/zoom - in fear of someone walking in on you looking at such an enlarged eye photo and labelling you a serial killer), but you can see the difference that an eyebrow filler makes.

The worst part? If you touch your face a lot, it smudges like mad. I tend not to touch my face, so I haven't really run in to this problem. But also, why would you touch your face a lot? That's gross, stop that.

I started using this kit as the backup (or sometimes in conjunction with) the Anastasia one I like and there's probably no going back for me now. I will continue to sample new eyebrow pencils and systems until I magically find one that isn't over $20 and is somehow all-weather friendly. 

“I think hell is something you carry around with you. Not somewhere you go.”

— Neil Gaiman, The Sandman

I Don't Want To Live On The Moon

I wish I'd seen this more when I was a kid, infact I hope every kid everywhere sees it at some tiny age since it's beautiful.

Rhum Corner in Toronto

I swear to God they make drinks here like they do in the islands. I had a Dark & Stormy and you CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE.

The last time I was in Toronto, Marla took me here and I loved everything about this place. It's been open for just over a year and I'm desperately hoping that it stays a long time. Look at this menu.

Not only were the drinks fantastically made, but the food is authentic beyond belief. Also, any place that boasts a homemade patty? Get the hell out of here. I couldn't even find that on the beach in Jamaica. Everything I tried here, I liked. And I think these opinions are especially notable because I'm not really big on Caribbean food since it was always around my house growing up. 

Go, go, go! I can't wait to eat here again.

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

This has been my go-to chili to make for the past year. I can't believe that I haven't posted it sooner, to be honest. Not only is it the easiest thing in the world to make, but it tastes crazy good.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
•  1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes (and compare the different brands' sodium levels 'cause some of them are outrageous)
•  2 (15 ounce) cans low-sodium kidney beans, drained
•  1 (15 ounce) can low-sodium black beans, drained
•  1/2 medium onion, chopped
•  2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
•  1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
•  1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
•  1 pinch ground black pepper
•  1 pinch ground allspice
•  salt to taste

Instructions

1. Spray some cooking spray in a skillet over medium heat. Place the turkey in the skillet, and cook until evenly brown. Drain the fat from the pan as the turkey gets cooked.
2. Coat the inside of a slow cooker with cooking spray, and mix in turkey, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans and onion. Season with chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, allspice and salt.
3. Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.
4. When you serve it, you can top it with some non-fat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream if you're feeling fancy.

The original recipe can be found here, but my version is slightly adapted/better.